Introduction

This book is a reprint first published in 1960
Alan Sutton has added "Publisher's Note to the 2016 Edition.
This section contains the modern names of countrys mentioned in the text and also the value of the English Pound 1920-1939 and it's equivalent in 2016.

In 1939 1 Pound = 60.60 Pounds in 2016

This will be helpful when compairing the cost of airfair and the cost of aircraft in todays money.

The Contents

229 pages broken up into 16 Chapters:-

I:
Civil Air Transport in the Pre-Subsidy Period:
Operations of the Early Companies 1919-1921
II:
The Necessity of Subsidies:
Subsidized Operations 1921-1924
III:
Prologue for Five Chapters:
Imperial Airways, 1924-1934
IV:
European Routes:
1924-1934
V:
The First Imperial Air Route:
Cairo-Karachi 1921-1934
VI:
Across Europe and the Mediterranean:
London-Cairo 1919-1934
VII:
Cecil Rhode's Dream Come true:
The All-Red Route through Afica 1919-1934
VIII:
In the Steps of the Smiths:
Over Jungles and through Monsoons to Australia 1919-1934
IX:
Conquering the North Atlantic:
1919-1939
X:
Imerial Airways in Africa:
1935-1939
XI:
Flying to the Far East:
1935-1940
XII:
The Antipodean Service:
1935-1939
XIII:
The Second Chosen Instrument:
British Airways Emerges
XIV:
The Post-Monopoly Era:
Imperial Airways in Europe 1935-1937
XV:
From BBC to BOAC:
Sir John Reith is Chosen
XVI:
In Retrospect and Conclusion

Photographs

The book has 73 good quality black and white photographs:
48 photographs of some of the different aircraft used and 25 of aircraft interiors and crew pictures

Graphics

Spread throughout the book there are 11 black and white maps of the routes showing citys serviced by the airlines.

Appendices

Thirteen appendices cover:
Fatal accidents,aircraft purchase prices and what may be of great interest to modelers is the Registry of Aircraft Owend and Operated by British Overseas Air Transport Companies 1919-1940

Conclusion

Something for all tastes in this release: History,Politics and last but not least Aircraft!
Recommended.

Thank you to Jay Slater.Fonthill Media for the book to review.

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